The Yemeni national security chief has declared that the country is receiving assistance from the US in the crackdown on what he called ‘al-Qaeda operatives’ in southern Yemen.

Mohamed al-Anisi has told the Saudi Arabian newspaper Okaz that Yemeni forces were cooperating with the US military on attacks against al-Qaeda camps, DPA reported on Saturday.

Yemen’s confirmation comes as an ABC report revealed that US President Barack Obama had signed the order for a recent military strike on Yemen in which scores of civilians, including children, were killed.

Upon the orders of Obama, the military warplanes blanketed two camps in the north of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on December 17, claiming “an imminent attack against a US asset was being planned,” ABC News quoted anonymous administration officials as saying on December 18.

The US has also been throwing its weight behind the central government in San’a by supporting their months-long offensive against the Houthis in northern Yemen which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the region.

Houthi fighters say US fighter jets have in multiple times bombed their region, killing civilians including women and children.

Houthi fighters on Saturday declared that a US fighter jet had carried out multiple airstrikes on the home of a senior official in Yemen’s northern province of Sa’ada.

The developments come as international aid agencies and some UN bodies including United Nations Children’s Fund and UN High Commissioner for Refugees have voiced concern over the dire condition of the Yemeni civilians who have become the main victims of the conflict in the country.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana’a and Houthi fighters. Relative peace had returned to the region until August 11, when the Yemeni army launched a major offensive, dubbed Operation Scorched Earth, against Sa’ada Province.

The government claims that the fighters, who are named after their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, seek to restore the imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 military coup.

The Houthis, however, say they are defending their people’s civil rights, which the government has undermined under pressure from Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists. Shias, who form the clear majority in the north, make up approximately half of Yemen’s overall population.

The United Nations, which according to its charter is set up “to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace,” has failed to adopt any concrete measures to help end the bloody war.

As Yemen continues its military campaign against the Houthi fighters in the north, US President Barack Obama offers assistance to battle Shia Muslims.

On Sunday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh received a letter from Obama, which pledged economic aid and assistance in fighting terrorism, the Yemeni SABA news agency reported.

“The security of Yemen is vital for the security of the United States,” said Obama in the letter, which was delivered to Saleh by the assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism John Brennan.

In the letter, Obama hailed what he called the partnership between the two countries in fighting terrorism and said that the Shia Muslims organization poses a common threat to everyone.

The US president also said that Washington would adopt a new initiative to help Yemen confront “development challenges and supporting reform efforts,” along with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, donor states and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Obama’s letter came as the Yemeni government forces once again breached a temporary truce with the Zaidi Shia fighters they are fighting with in the north.

Since 2004, the Yemini army and the Zaidi Shia fighters have been engaged in violent periodic clashes, in a war which has claimed the lives of thousands and displaced up to 15,000 civilians- based on UN High Commission for Refugees estimates.

After just over a year of relative peace, a fifth round of fighting erupted on August 11, as the Yemeni government decided to launch a new wave of attacks against the northern provinces of Sa’dah and Amran.

Since then, several attempts have been made to restore truce between the two sides, but the government has renewed the fighting.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of trying to restore a Zaidi imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 coup.

The rebels, however, say they are defending their people, which make up around 40 of Yemen’s population, against religious oppression and fighting for their civil rights.

The conflict has also affected other regional states, as San’a has accused Iran, Libya and Iraq of providing the fighters with weapons- allegations that have been denied by all three countries.

The rebels have also claimed that Saudi Arabia is “directly supporting” the government’s military offensive by providing it with different types of weapons, military vehicles and financial aid.

A website for Houthi fighters recently released new footage of what they say proves that the Yemeni army is using Saudi Arabian weapons.

Meanwhile in Iraq, Independent MP Izzat Shabandar lashed out at San’a on Monday, calling its accusations “ridiculous” and charging that Yemen has created a sanctuary for Saddam Hossein loyalists and al-Qaeda leaders.

After Pakistan, Yemen is seen as the primary haven for al-Qaeda militants, who are using the country to organize and train more recruits.

Although there was no mention in the SABA report of Obama making any specific reference to the conflict with Houthi fighters, it did point out that the US president had touched upon the need to fight al-Qaeda.

Last month, Yemeni forces launched anti-terrorist operations in a tribal area known as an al-Qaeda safe haven.

However, after a short while and without reaching any significant results, they ended the operation claiming that it was more imperative to address the situation in the north.

Obama’s offer to help fight Al-Qaeda to Sana’a – which has not demonstrated a strong detrmination to eradicate the terorist group -comes as the latest opinion polls indicate that most Americans are opposed to US “war on terrror” in Afghanistan.

A recent national poll published by the CNN showed that 57 percent of Americans are opposed to the Afghan war, while only 42 percent of respondents approve of Washington’s alleged military campaign against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda allies.

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to allegedly eradicate militancy and arrest militan leaders .More than 8 years after the invasion, top Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders arre still at large.